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Playful creativity is often a key ingredient when DIY makers challenge conventions, pushing the boundaries of both traditional and emerging technologies. Some designs reference toy nostalgia from days gone by, while others give an entirely new face to toys – with results quite unlike anything that has come before.

Continue reading for some seriously fun highlights from Toys & Games in 2011.

Using the wizardry of 3d printing and a little DIY CNC programming, Ben Jackson from Portland, Oregon technified his Etch-a-Sketch. The whole process is thoroughly documented on Thingiverse, paving the way for others to bring their own Etch-a-Sketch well and truly into the 21st century.

Think of the possibilities if the structural components for your very own robot came from whatever you have lying around. Everything is fair game when Gabriel Paciornik’s Plick robot enabler enters the scene.

Give your grey matter a serious workout with Ponoko user Steve’s 3D printed puzzles. The process behind these designs is a good example of how to explore options available to makers in the Ponoko Personal Factory.

Assemble an endless array of nifty structures with these elegant little FDM printed modules. Featuring a specially shaped housing for those ball magnet toys, the .stl file for magNEATO can be downloaded on Thingiverse.